Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary

English

Etymology

Coined by English linguist Rosamund Moon in a 1989 paper (see first quote).

Proper noun

the Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary

1. (lexicography, humorous) A fictional supremely authoritative dictionary, supposed to be referenced by laypeople in discussions of "the dictionary".
   • 1989, Rosamund Moon, “Objective or Objectionable: Ideological Aspects of Dictionaries”, in English Language Research Journal, volume 3, Birmingham, West Midlands: University of Birmingham, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 63; quoted in Words Words Words, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2010, →ISBN, pages 5–6:

     The dictionary most cited in such cases is the UAD: the Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary, usually referred to as 'the dictionary,' but very occasionally as 'my dictionary.'

   • 1996, Jonathon Green, Chasing the Sun: Dictionary-Makers and the Dictionaries They Made, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN, page 11:

     The individual lexicographer has ceded power to the team, the computerised corpus has come to stand side by side with, if not actually to replace, the readers of earlier research, but what has been termed the 'Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary' is still the court of last resort.

   • 1996 March 24, David Honigmann, “Abecedarians in the war of the words”, in The Independent‎^[1], London: Independent Digital News & Media Ltd, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-07-07:

     This war ended with the death of both men and their replacement by [Samuel] Johnson as authors of the "Unidentified Authorising Dictionary".

   • 2004 June 22, Raymond S. Wise, “tarot”, in alt.english.usage‎^[2] (Usenet):

     Have you hear^[sic] of the Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary?

   • 2018, Elizabeth Knowles, 'And I Quote...', Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 52:

     The reference here, certainly, is to a generic compilation, not to any specific collection. This is the 'Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary' identified by Rosamund Moon, and the purpose for which it might be consulted is decidedly utilitarian.